The invention relates to an electrical connector system and more particularly to a system for connecting first and second substrates.
An example of such a connector system is disclosed in German Utility Model D-EUM 298 17 007 and Standard IEC 1076-4-102, respectively. The first substrate in this connector system is usually a backplane or mother board on which a male connector is mounted. The male connector typically contains plurality of contacts. The second substrate is usually a component assembly on which a complementary female connector is mounted. The female connector usually contains a plurality of contacts.
Guide pins are provided on one of the substrates for pre-centering the first substrate with respect to the second substrate, so that the female and male connectors fit together precisely without stubbing their contacts. Moreover, a coding key on the guide pin as well as the complementary coding key in a coding box serve to associate the male connector with the proper complementary female connector.
In the design according to Standard IEC 1076-4-102, the length of the guide pins is limited to a maximum of 32 mm. The coding box is designed such that the guide pin, upon insertion, is centered by the cooperation of the coding key with the guide pin and the complementary coding key. During insertion, the guide pin and coding key first engage the complementary coding key to center the guide pin before the tip of the guide pin touches a spring contact inside the coding box. Thus, coarse pre-centering is effected by insertion of the guide pin in the complementary coding key on the coding box and fine centering is effected by the cooperation of coding key and complementary coding key.
Due to the fact that this connector system is employed for a huge variety of types of female and male connectors, a problem arises with larger heights of female and male connectors in that the length of the guide pin according to IEC 1976-4-102 is too short for pre-centering in some connector systems. Lengthening of the guide pin in turn causes a problem in that during insertion, the tip of the guide pin touches the spring contact in the coding box before it becomes centered by way of the cooperation of coding key and complementary coding key. In case of oblique insertion of the guide pin without appropriate centering, there is thus the risk that the spring contact in the coding box is bent or completely damaged. Such damage may render the connector system inoperable.
It is thus the object of the invention to develop a connector system of the type indicated here in such a manner that also guide pins of greater length than according to IEC 1076-4-102 can be used without the risk of bending of the spring contact in the coding box upon insertion of the guide pin.
According to the invention, this and other objects are achieved by providing an additional centering member for the guide pin which is formed on the coding box between the complementary coding key and the spring contact. The guide pin during insertion is therefore centered before touching the spring contact and thus cannot damage or bend the spring contact.